I was at a record fair last weekend where I came upon this 45 by Gloria Lynne, her 'Answer' record to 'Tower of Strength' by Gene McDaniels, 'You Don't Have To Be a Tower of Strength'. Once again it features a lyric by Bob Hilliard, a writer Bacharach stated he wished he'd worked with more during a London concert a couple of years ago.

I was sent this by a friend who described it as "archetypal Bacharach & David" and who thought it obscure enough for me not to know it. Well, I know the song but not this recording by Leslie Uggams. I think this is very good but my personal favourite version is by Jackie Trent from an album she made with Tony Hatch in the early 70s, sadly yet to make an appearance on YT:

Bacharach has stated on more than one occasion that he thought the recording of 'The Windows of the World' he arranged and produced for Dionne Warwick in 1967 lacked gravitas. I wonder what he made of Scott Walker's version from a year or so later?

Over the years Burt expressed frustration with the tempos at which he originally recorded a few songs, another well-known example being "...Prayer."Nevertheless, he retained the familiar tempos when recording and performing his own renditions. He has always been inexplicably unwilling to counter his audience`s expectations with either new arrangements (many now over a half-century old) or new compositions. Jimmy Webb, even more notoriously, will not play any song in performance that hasn`t sold several billion dollars` worth of records.What is it with these guys? Don`t they realise what a devoted fan-base they have and how welcome new or unfamiliar material would be?

Blair N. Cummings wrote:Over the years Burt expressed frustration with the tempos at which he originally recorded a few songs, another well-known example being "...Prayer."Nevertheless, he retained the familiar tempos when recording and performing his own renditions. He has always been inexplicably unwilling to counter his audience`s expectations with either new arrangements (many now over a half-century old) or new compositions. Jimmy Webb, even more notoriously, will not play any song in performance that hasn`t sold several billion dollars` worth of records.What is it with these guys? Don`t they realise what a devoted fan-base they have and how welcome new or unfamiliar material would be?

The argument for the "Hit Parade" usually runs thus: Most people attending these performances are only casual fans and are familiar only with the tried-and-true. They expect the familiar and will be disappointed with anything else.My rejoinder is that, of course, some "hits" must be performed. However, once upon a time, "What the World Needs Now" and "Didn`t We" were new songs. Only with time did they become favorites or "classics." Without new songs, there can be no new "hits" or favorites - only nostalgia.I know that it`s a little late in the game to expect much new material from either Burt or JW, but the latter has wasted the last quarter century re-recording old stuff. That`s an astonishingly long time for inexcusable timidity and/or sloth.

I personally would walk ten miles in tight shoes to witness this fantasy BB set-list consisting of numbers he's never or rarely performed during his concerts including, surprisingly, several hits:

Twenty Four Hours From TulsaPlease StayMessage to MichaelYou'll Never Get to HeavenReach Out For MeDon't Go Breaking My HeartHere I AmAre You There (with another girl)NikkiCasino RoyalePromises, Promises Knowing When to LeaveWhoever You Are I Love YouThe Sundance KidSouth American Getaway Paper MacheCheck-Out TimeSomething BigI Just Have to BreatheIf I Could Go BackWalk the Way You TalkMonterey Peninsula SecondsAnother Spring Will Rise